DEOPHAM, or Deepham parish, 2½ miles S.E. of Hingham, includes the small
village of Deopham Green, many scattered houses, 483 inhabitants, and 1626 acres
of land, belonging to a number of proprietors, and lying in two manors, of which
Lord Wodehouse and the Ecclesiastical Commisioners are lords. The latter are
also appropriators of the rectorial tithes, which are leased to the Exors. of W.
S. Millard, Esq., and have been commuted for £377. 13s. 5d. a year. The Dean
and Chapter of Canterbury are patrons of the vicarage, which was valued in K.B.,
at £5. 7s. 11d, and augmented from 1716 to ’18, with £70, given by them, £130,
given by the Rev. Henry Rix, and £200 of Q.A.B., all laid out in 23 acres of
land at Shipdham. The Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn is the incumbent, and has a neat
brick residence near the church, erected in 1852, at a cost of £600: and a
yearly tithe rent-charge of £190. 2s 9d. The Church
(St. Andrew) is a finely proportioned and spacious structure, consisting of
a lofty nave with aisles and clerestory, a chancel, a south porch, and a massive
square tower. The latter, which is in the perpendicular style, and contains five
bells, rises to the height of 100 feet, and is surmounted at the angles by
octagonal turrets, and ornamented with crosses. The nave is of the
early-decorated period, and has five lofty arches on each side, resting on
triangular pillars on the north and octagonal ones on the south side: it has a
fine open timber roof, the spandrils of which rest on carved corbels. The
chancel is of later date, being in the perpendicular style, and having a plain
roof. It contains a large piscina, and sedilia for three priests, and there are
piscinǽ
and the remains of painted screens at the east ends of the aisles, where there
were formerly chapels. The tower arch is lofty and very fine, but the west
window is nearly bricked up. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are about to
restore the chancel, and the rest of this fine building will shortly undergo a
similar process. The National School, a neat brick building with residence attached, was
built in 1851, and is attended by about 33 children. A large Lime-tree,
90 feet high, was cut down in the parish, in 1705, the trunk of which was from 8½
to 16 yards in girth. The Primitive Methodists have two small chapels here. In
1726, the Rev. Henry Rix left £60 for
school poor children, &c., and it was laid out in the purchase of 4a. 1r.
32p. of land, now let for £12, out of which 32s. are paid for teaching four
poor children, 10s. for a sermon, and 1s. to the clerk, and the rest is
distributed in bread among the parishioners. The Charter Acre was exchanged at the enclosure for 1a. 38p., let for £5,
of which 11s. are paid annually, to the sheriff, for renewing the " town
charter " which exempts the parishioners from serving on juries, and the
residue is carried to the church rates. The Fuel Allotment, awarded at the enclosure in 1814, consists of 14a.
2r. 13p., let for about £20 a year, which is distributed in Coals.
Post
Office at William Whitehand's. Letters desp. via Wymondham at 5.30 p.m.
Brunton John, gardener
Clark
Wm., shoemr.
Clement
James, wheelwright
Knights
William, parish clerk
Mallett
Edward Griffin, corn miller
Marrott
Elizabeth, National
School
Wanklyn
Rev. Hibbert, Vicarage
Wingfield
John, blacksmith and vict. Half
Moon
BEERHOUSES
Baker
Richardson
George
Jeremiah
Stone
George
FARMERS
Clark
William
Eason
Robert
Liddylow
William
Matthews
Hamnd.
Miles
Henry
Millard
George, The
Church Farm
Minns
Reuben
Patrick
William
Phœnix
John
Phœnix
Robert
Pitts
Philip
Riches
John
Roberson
John, Hall
Rowing
Mary
Shickle
James
Shickle
William
Watling
Henry, (& rate collector)
Whitehand
John
SHOPKEEPERS
George
Jeremiah
Phœnix
Robert
Stone
George
Whitehand
William